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Saturday, 11 June 2016

Sangha visit to Tibet’s Secret Temple Exhibition at the Wellcome Trust in London

Earlier this year Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Ngakma Mé-tsal, and Naljorpa
Ja’gyür—accompanied by a group of practitioners from
Sang-ngak-chö-dzong—went to London to see the exhibition entitled Tibet’s Secret Temple at the Wellcome Trust.

The Wellcome webpage gives the following about the exhibition ‘Tibet’s Secret Temple’ explores Tibetan Buddhist yogic and meditational practice and their connections to physical and mental wellbeing. Inspired by an exquisite series of 17th century murals from a private meditation chamber for Tibet’s Dalai Lamas in Lhasa’s Lhakhang Temple, the exhibition features over 120 objects including scroll paintings, statues, manuscripts, archival and contemporary film, together with a wide range of ethnographic and ritual artefacts. Three of the murals from the temple have been recreated, by photographer Thomas Laird, as life-sized digital artworks that form the centrepiece of the exhibition.

The Lineage Holders of the Aro gTér—Ngak’chang Chö-ying Gyamtso Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen Tsédrüp Rolpa’i Yeshé—were personally invited by the exhibition’s curator Ian Baker (author of several books on Vajrayana Buddhism) explorer of the Hidden Land in Pemakö and long-time Nyingma practitioner with Lamas such as Kyabjé Chatral Rinpoche.

Ian Baker guided Ngak’chang Rinpoche and the sangha around the exhibition and together they discussed many different aspects of Vajrayana. Ngak’chang Rinpoche was able to provide extensive commentaries on many of the fascinating objects in the exhibition. We all shared in Ian Baker’s enthusiasm concerning many aspects of essential Vajrayana as purveyed by the Mahasiddha tradition in India. Ian Baker also told many stories about his relationship with Kyabjé Chatral Rinpoche and meetings with Kyabjé Künzang Dorje Rinpoche and Jomo Sam’phel Déchen.

Ian Baker enjoyed discussing Vajrayana with us as a group and showed
great interest in Ngak’chang Rinpoche’s elucidations on key points
concerning the gö kar chang lo’i dé.